I’m writing notes for this post from one of our favorite islands. We’re on a camp-cruise in our home waters in Maine and the topic is fresh in my mind. Several conversations during this little cruise have inspired us to create a new list, or series, for Off Center Harbor members: The Most Valuable NON-Boat Gear on My Boat.
When we’re cruising on the Caledonia Yawl, HOWDY, she draws a lot of attention. Most often it comes in the form of mild curiosity from non-boaters who mostly just want to know what the hell is going on (the lug yawl rig inspires both nostalgia and confusion).
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Ginny Jones says:
Jeepers, how come so few women came up with great ideas? I thought that I sent in a suggestion of a pareau (pareo ) or as several people suggested: lava lava. The greatest piece of cloth on any boat (in temperate climates) except for the sails. Can be used for a bunk cover, skirt, shorts (twisted properly), sun shade, bathing suit (add a safety pin or two), hobo bag, towel, seat cover, dish towel, privacy etc. And a real batik one is such a beautiful thing. A sort of carry pack for a baby or gear on the back.
Charles Irwin says:
A single, long wristed leather glove is handy (sorry!) when moving pots and ovens round the camp fire. And inspires tales thereafter . . .
Bruce Debree says:
Cold brewed coffee in a can. Brio’s Ethiopia is my favorite, nothing so good was ever so easy.
Tobias Edler says:
My Trangia stove with a gas burner. Much less tippy than other gas stoves.
Roy Morford says:
I’ve used a Trangia for years. Love it (except when I forget that burning alcohol is virtually invisible).
Jim Alexander says:
Wow! A lot of info.
Most doesn’t include a year round cruiser.
I believe that cruisers are in at least 5 catagories: from over-night to continuous and the needs change for each.
We have been, one way or another, in all 5 and learned and enjoyed each adventure over 40+ years.
Great article, Jim and Donna
Simeon Baldwin says:
I wouldn’t camp cruise without a fire blanket. On my 12’ SCAMP Noddy, I use it under my stove when cooking aboard. I have a 1m x 1m one ordered from through Amazon. On special, 2 for around $16!
Shown here on seat top before opening out to drape over coaming and down the seat longitudinal. I’m usually using my Trangia but sometimes with a multi-fuel Whisperlite.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fuedlnsxpwx1t8o/Fie%20Blanket%20IMG_5760.JPG?dl=0
David Tew says:
Right. A fire blanket kept handy in its tear-away pouch where it can be reached without facing away from or reaching over the stove. Also a fireport on the engine box (but we’re getting into marine-specific items): https://www.marineeast.com/a_sch/sch_det.asp?cid=13&pid=13_01
gerald t sicard says:
I always bring ditty bags for those small things that you just don’t know where else to stow.
Plus a nylon mesh bag for dirty clothes.Gallon ziplock bags are great for food,clothes, misc papers. When traveling in other countries I take pictures of my passport, credit cards (front and back) medical info (id cards) with my cell phone, then I send myself an email with the pictures attached, you can now access your info anywhere online in emergencies.
Dave Woodman says:
Two things: Fly swatter and corkscrew.
Philip Myer says:
Great Article Steve- what to you and Amy do/take for insect protection ?, having been to Tassie you know about our Jack Jumpers- I was mauled last weekend whilst whipper snipping.
Regards Philip
Thomas Belknap says:
I tried to go to http://msog.org/how-to/portablegalley/portablegalley to get the details and photo of the toolbox designed by Conbert Benneck, but got a “not found on server” message. Would it be possible to send this information out in another format. The box sounds like something I’d like to build for my Ilur yawl “Griffin.” Thanks, Tom Belknap
Richard Raymond says:
Go to msog.org. Then click on the “How to and specs” box at the top of the page. Look for “portable galley” in the list of items the comes up. It is a few items down on the left side.
Jim Peverley says:
A miracle cloth, also called a sham wow by one retailer. It soaks up water better than any sponge and actually leaves the surface dry.
Paul Grun says:
We call these “Boat Show Cloths” because we bought our first roll of these things at a boatshow in Denver 35 years ago. Super absorbent, dries quickly. Not as many functions as the lava lavas you described but as a replacement for papertowels and all around soaking up of goop, these cannot be beat.
Christophe Matson says:
Great list, though you lost me at the speakers. I’ve had to grind through many a nice night listening to another camper’s music coming from over the water. That sound carries… far. One tenant of Leave No Trace is “let nature’s sounds prevail.” Corny, but when I’m trying to get away from the cacophony of modern life, I find it to be very poignant.
LOVE the “lava lava!” I always called them sarongs? Are they different? This difference should be explored and debated. I had a roomate who was half-Filipino and he introduced them to me when I was 18. Rocked my world, never looked back. My neighbors think I’m batty when I strut around the lawn in mine, but I’m comfortable and nimble. Like Steve, I too feel more muscular when I wear it (results and/or perceptions may vary).
Steve Stone says:
Well the skirt thing is officially now a trend, Christophe. I can see a full fleet of ’em at next year’s SRR. Thanks for the reminder about the music/speakers. I adjusted that description above. We never play music when others can hear it, especially if it has the potential to carry over water. We’re so remote up here that except for July and August, we’re often the only ones within miles.
Ants Uiga says:
As for sunblock staining, I found OxyKleen (approx) removes the stain each time on my fly fishing shirts. The fly fishing shirts are useful with big pockets, venting, quick dry fabric, and less pricey at the discount resellers.
Steve Stone says:
Thanks Ants. I’ve had luck with combinations of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar that work also. A quick search online for the specific type of stain helps — I’ve read that the “Oxygen” in OxyClean can actually set certain kinds of stain in for good.
John Krake says:
The towel comments brought to mind my handy item which is a golf towel that I clip to a hook at the helm for quick hand cleaning or water wipe ups, etc. As well, I carry several big binder clips ( office supply stores ) to clip to towels for hang drying.
Ben Fuller says:
My criteria is stuff that you can’t get at Hamilton. You’ve mentioned the horse bucket with rope bail. Larger cousin is the drywall bucket with a waterproof top. You need both. At the skindiver’s store the big net bags with back straps that can be tied in to hold all that small stuff that you need that drifts about. At the paddling store clear waterproof chart cases. And a Gerber, not a Leatherman…..its the only multitool that deploys the pliers with a flick of the wrist. Don’t leave home without it.
ROBERT ROESCH says:
I think the weirdest thing I carry on Siren that isn’t boat gear is my iPhone.
I started sailing 50 years ago and worked with paper charts, where after 5 or 6 trips they became a thing of beauty. I wrote on them, laid out my my course, corrected my course. Charts were my log. Now my phone sits is within reach, I know where I’ve gone, where I’m going and what the weather is doing in the next 20 minutes. I seems different but I’m old and it hasn’t failed me yet. Strange thing to have on a 51year old sailboat. The iPhone!
Conbert Benneck says:
Robert, I recently saw a YouTube video of a Canadian coming north on the ICW from Florida.
He showed how he could use an app on his iPhone as an anchor alarm. You can set the allowable swing radius at anchor, and if the boat reaches the set limit, because the anchor drags, the alarm sounds.
George Conbeer says:
By far my favorite is image stabilizing binoculars. They are magic.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XOGP13S/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile
Add a shoulder harness like photographers use and you can put the binocs on in the morning and wear them all day. Truly changes how you see things.
https://www.amazon.com/Vortex-Optics-Binocular-Harness-Strap/dp/B000BH24JM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=binocular+isess&qid=1569270667&s=gateway&sprefix=binocu&sr=8-1
I second the Luci Lights.
Third is Sawyer Picaridin insect repellent.
Steve Stone says:
Thanks George. Here’s a link to a video on Picaridin bug spray. Hadn’t heard of it. Pretty interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=69&v=DJCfunmHN34
Matthew Durkin says:
Other than regular sailing gear we agree with the above Luci Light suggestion. Whether on our own boat or chartering in some remote location we hang the light from the boom at night to easily find our boat in a crowded mooring field. They collapse when not in use and you can buy a color version where the color changes with a push of a button. We also bring our own pillows, no better way to get a good nights sleep.
Tom Bryan says:
In my small, open boat kit I keep the original tablet. It’s an 8×10 piece of white lexan. I’ve sanded both sides to give it a “tooth”. A soft lead pencil (3B) is jammed into a key float, lashed into a hole in a corner. I use it to note bearings, waypoints, reminders, or the sudden limerick inspiration. It’s so weatherproof, you can write underwater. Erase it with spit and a little soap-powder. Important information is transferred to the log later. Use it for a cutting board, fan, paddle. Some assembly required, batteries not included.
Steve Stone says:
Excellent, Tom. Can you take a photo of it with some writing on it and email it to us?
Tom Bryan says:
Gladly. Sent it to secretgear (at) offcenterharbor.com.
Steve Stone says:
Got it. Brilliant. See photo:
Conbert Benneck says:
This idea could be used as the lid for the bottom half of the Tool Box galley. Then it can serve two purposes; as a cutting board and a note pad.
Recently at the Container Store in Dallas, I discovered a German kitchen item that has finally come to the States. In Germany it is called a “Schwammtuch” (a sponge cloth). We couldn’t live without them. They are about 8″ square and about 1/8″ thick. After you moisten them they work as a sponge for cleaning up dishes / dry the bottom of the boat / weigh nothing and are very handy cleaning devices on board. Just rinse them out after use, and let them dry out.
I used a new bottom hatch board on our M15 and using a teak binocular holder from WEST (that I modified to do what I wanted it for) was now able to hold my 7X50 binoculars; marine radio; a beverage can; GPS; so that they all had their place, and stayed in place while sailing.
Steve Zutter says:
What is it called at the Container Store?
David Tew says:
We’ve got a sheet of ‘clear whiteboard’ overlay on our removable chart table. It’s on the ‘dashboard’ in the sun so the paint underneath is a dark non-reflective color. https://www.amazon.com/Kassa-Whiteboard-Sticker-Transparent-Included/dp/B06ZYTB4HR/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3J2M0KJAMODHD&keywords=clear+whiteboard+wall+sticker&qid=1574116845&s=office-products&sprefix=clear+whiteboard%2Coffice-products%2C167&sr=1-5
Martin Gregory says:
Don’t see how Anchor Buddy would keep your boat from being blown or pushed ashore or onto the rocks if the wind or tide change. A stretching anchor line seems to be an oxymoron.
Steve Stone says:
Good point, Martin, and I’ve tweaked my description a bit above to address this.
Yes, the anchor line can stretch, especially when you have 3 anchor buddies tied end to end like I do, there’s a total of 105′ of potential stretch. So I wouldn’t use this technique in high winds or currents, but in conditions less than 10 or 15 knots of wind I can pretty much tell how much stretch/range I’ll have with this particular boat and set it accordingly. The Caledonia doesn’t have much windage or weight, so those are factors as well.
Another factor is that this anchors your boat at a particular angle, so it won’t swing the nose into the wind or current. Either of those factors could cause trouble, i.e. a heavy side wind and rolling waves on the beam could end in a capsize. If this might be the conditions during the night, I’ll tie the second retrieval line to the bow and not the stern as Bill suggests below (thanks Bill), allowing the boat to point into the wind as the wind direction shifts.
I definitely wouldn’t recommend this technique overnight if there’s much wind/current or with a bigger/heavier boat.
Bill Theurkauf says:
This seems like a great idea. Why not tie both the anchor buddy and retrieval line to bow? Would let the boat swing with the wind and current. You could add a short pennant as well. This should minimize stretch and any danger of capsize when the wind picks up.
Steve Stone says:
Thanks Bill. How is it that I never thought of that during the first night of testing? It was calm, and I liked the ability to keep the bow out off the beach with the boomeranchor pulling the bow offshore with tension. Makes it easy to load/unload, etc. without fighting the boat. But if it blows or there’s a current, ya, I could tie the retrieval line to the bow so that the boat swings into the wind and stays more in place stretching the boomeranchor less. The learning curve in sailing never ends, and camp cruising steepens the required curve.
Kevin Brennan says:
I use mine in conjunction with the anchor line. One end of the anchor buddy is secured to the anchor chain and the other is secured to an eye that is spliced into the anchor line at the full stretch limit of the anchor buddy, that way I am not solely depending on the bungee line.
David Tew says:
Lunatec Aqua-bot Sprayer Bottle Top https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3BhX4gjsNo
Steve Stone says:
Great one, Dave. Looks like it may be a simple solution to getting a hot shower too when combined with the camp stove.
David Tew says:
Absolutely. I have to wash my hair every morning or I look like I went swimming in the lee of the stricken Exxon Valdez during the night. It’s also very handy for flushing salt spray from the cabin windscreen when bucking into a head sea. The wipers alone just smear the salt water into streaks.
Steve Zutter says:
These things are great! I see now that they have a hose that turns it into a sun-shower type deal.
William Real says:
To be more clear, EWG evaluates how healty products are. BurnOut received a good rating.
William Real says:
We’ve had good luck with both “BurnOut Ocean Tested Physicsl Sunscreen” and “Kiss my Face” sunscreen in not staining clothes. The “BurnOut” is also listed on the EWG list of sunscreens as a low health hazard.
Steve Stone says:
Well definitely check this out. Thanks William.
Paul Bargren says:
A heavy rubber bucket from the farm store, with the metal bail removed and replaced with some line. All purpose useful. (Idea stolen from one of the OCH videos.) And +1on the headlamp, with option for red light, too.
Steve Stone says:
Yep. There’s a horse feed bucket on HOWDY.
Arthur Haberland says:
I always bring my Biolight Camp Stove. Almost as good as a jetboil for getting a fire going under the food, but it can recharge anything that uses USB. Just keep it nice and dry when not in use.
Ben Tombs says:
My Baritone ukulele. Goes everywhere. Tuned like a guitar but only 4 strings.
Andy Lininger says:
They make them in carbon fiber that doubles as a paddle.
John Trussell says:
–A supply of gallon zip lock bags for storing and hauling off trash..
–A stout knife, kept sharp, with a lanyard clipped to a belt. Mine is a Mudd.
–A pair of compact binoculars, fairly low power, for picking up buoy numbers and general use. I find anything over 7×50 jumps around too much to be useful.
Steve Stone says:
Check. Check. Check. All those are on HOWDY. The knife in a holster on my PFD. I’ve never actually used the binoculars but if I take them out of the bag then I’ll need them.
Conbert Benneck says:
I had a sailor’s knife: one large blade for cutting lines; a marlin spike; and a shackle opener.
The lanyard was an evening’s work in fancy rope work in the cabin, while the children played their guitars.
No matter how small the vessel you need some sort of a tool box; basic tools; and spare parts. Shackles; sailor’s needles, and twine for whipping your lines; sail repair materials; small lines for lashings, or..….? This is all Anti-MURPHY equipment if something breaks.
George Grieser says:
A solar stove like the go sun
Alex Zimmerman says:
A golf umbrella. Why? When you get wet in a small open boat it’s hard to get dry again. A golf umbrella is handy for those time when you are at anchor and don’t have your boat tent set up yet or are ashore and don’t have your foulies on and a passing shower comes by. It also makes a great temporary sun shade when at anchor. A golf umbrella rather than a regular one is usually made of non-ferrous materials so it won’t rust. It is also bigger and usually has vents so that it is not so subject to wind gusts.
Steve Stone says:
I’m convinced, just for your easy stay-dry during a passing squall, but the guys who come up here from Virginia are now making the big golf umbrella a necessity, using them as downwind spinnakers or staysails in the “friendly” racing that inevitably happens among the Caledonia Yawls at the Small Reach Regatta.
Harris Bucklin says:
😂😏
Eddie Breeden says:
It has gotten worse! Bucklin now sports a patio umbrella on Mabu. He should just stay by the pool!
Lawrence Smith says:
Great ideas. I have also found that items such as those suggested, and camping gear in general is also useful on cruising yachts. Keeping it simple in all ways helps keep the blood pressure under control!
But…it makes my skin crawl any time I see loudspeakers mounted in the cockpit, or Bluetooth speakers included in the camp cruiser’s inventory. Our world is a noisy place. Even if it’s Bach for breakfast, dreamlike Debussy, or any other examples of good taste and conducive accompaniment, I’ll leave the “cool sounds” at home or in the seclusion of my boat’s cabin.
Steve Stone says:
True.
Conbert Benneck says:
A member of he Montgomery 15 cruising group introduced me to his Tool Box Galley. A 19″ plain tool box that contains bowls, plates; pots; pans; cups; wine glasses; knives; and cutlery.
A lid on the bottom half of the toolbox holds things in place and becomes a cutting board. A similar clear plastic lid, held in place with thing bungee cords provides space to kitchen knives; corkscrew; Don’t forget to add a pot holder; dish towel; small containers for sugar /salt /pepper/ and dish washing detergent. Building it is a three dimensional puzzle – most of my items came from a Goodwill store. The Tool Box galley puts everything you need for cooking in one easy to reach and carry tool box.. The original design was based on using a single burner propane stove with the gas bottle held in place with a fitting hole in the cutting board. I used a restaurant table stove: fuel container is detached from burner when you turn it off. It’s handy; stows well; is instantly ready for use.
Conbert Benneck says:
A Tool Box Galley in a 19″ plain tool box. For details and photos go to http://msog.org/how-to/portablegalley/portablegalley; and under one of he headings you’ll find “Charles Matthews Tool Box Galley” with photos. My tool box galley didn’t contain the single burner propane stove. I used a restaurant table stove – square, single burner and when you turn it OF the cartridge is disconnected from the burner. We used it cruising on a Montgomery 15. I’ll see if I an send you photos of my version of Charlie’s idea.
Evan Ehrhardt says:
Microfiber bath towels of various sizes are highly valued for beach weekends on our boat as terrycloth towels all but refuse to dry. A bag of clothespins hanging in the wheel house stands ready to secure them to the handrails for a quick dry. We also have rubber backed microfiber door mats stationed wherever we are getting on the boat with wet bathing suits.
Steve Stone says:
Door mat. Good one.
David Tew says:
Another use for a doormat is to wipe sand and dirt from feet and shoes before boarding. Saves paint and keeps the boat cleaner. We’ve cut suction cup versions sized to fit the waterways port and starboard and first step into the cockpit.
Matt urquhart says:
A woolen singlet or vest for cold nights and a couple of led headlights one as a spare for night sailing and on shore excursions. And a container of popcorn kernals for when ya get the munchies.
Brian Connelly says:
I keep a bunch of mesh lobster trap bait bags on board. They are great for storing items. I also put drinks (bottles and cans) inside them and then hang them overboard. The cold Maine water makes sure we have cold drinks with meals.
Sean Glynn says:
Definitely a headlamp when our compass light failed on on long passage we turned the headlamp to red and strapped it to out compass pedestal. Perfect 👌. A disposable bbq is also really useful keeps the mosquitoes away too😀👍
Jim Dumser says:
Steve,
What about the camp chair? (Maybe I’m a little softer than the usual reader…)
-Jim
Steve Stone says:
I draw the line at furniture, Jim. :) We usually have a dozen or so boulders on the beach left by glaciers that we can sit on or lean up against. If we’re desperate, the big round fenders we carry serve as chairs (or hippity hops). Envious of the chair, but there’s so little room on board and the beach is pretty comfortable.
Aran Lawrence says:
I respectfully disagree! My stadium seat is an absolute requirement. I use it all day while sailing and at night sitting around the fire. This is mine,
https://www.amazon.com/Leader-Accessories-Portable-Reclining-Bleacher/dp/B0725HLF29/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=stadium+seat&qid=1569433387&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFHQlJCTVlCMEU2TDkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTEwNDU4MTAyRzlHQjEwWEpXQ05aJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzMzk4MzMxMDROMlBXRVBDWDREJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
but the west marine ones are more comfortable and 3x the price.
Steve Stone says:
Pretty cool, Aran. Looks comfy. I’m a little surprised we haven’t thought more about this sort of thing, but our two regular boat cushions have always filled the need without us ever discussing we’d like to have chairs. Not sure why, aside from the reasons I mention above.
Aran Lawrence says:
My boat is ergonomically a little odd so when I’m heeled over my bony back sort of digs into the gunwale – not great! Another item I’ve appreciated a lot is a small battery powered fan like this,
https://www.walmart.com/ip/O2COOL-10-inch-Battery-or-Electric-Portable-Fan/49332866
I’m in Florida so beach cruising is an exercise in keeping cool. Not so much of a problem up in your neck of the woods though unless August. Just the other day I tried to tell my mother in law, who lives in Georgia, that Maine gets hot for a few days a year, but she didn’t believe me :)
Lyle Russell says:
I carry a Leatherman tool and a headlamp. There always used in some fashion on every trip. No matter how warm it is when we start, a fleece sweater is often appreciated. Occasionally I use it to supplement my sleeping pad as well.
Steve Stone says:
As several people have mentioned in emails to us, the red light option on headlamps becomes essential once you’ve experienced it in a tent or boat cabin. There’s kind of a social hierarchy class system in campers and cruisers these days — those that are enlightened enough to be considerate with a red light option on their headlamp, and then there’s the rest of us heathens still using white headlamps that blind the rest of the crew. For those wondering why red makes a difference, the red light doesn’t close the pupil, so a flash from a fellow cruiser’s red head light doesn’t screw up your night vision for 10 minutes. Pilots use red lights in aircraft cockpits.
tim vail says:
Actually, I think it has been shown that the light does not have to be red to protect your night vision. Green light and much smaller doses of white light are effective. Check it out.
Crispin Miller says:
That would go along with what a relief it was visually to see the nighttime scene in most of Japan (not Ginza district, I admit) when my work took me there in 1990. At least at that time, the illumination of many things at night was very modest and easy on the eyes — phone booths for instance were lit with about a 4-watt fluorescent, which was plenty to see the buttons but left you free to walk away un-dazzled.